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The True Possession 


BY 

ISABEL FOSTER 




BALTIMORE 

Wm. J. C. Dulany Company 
1907 





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0LiiS§ CX KKfit NO. 

/9So^xr 

, COPY B. 


COPYRIGHT, 1907 


BY 


Isabel Foster 


To the ‘‘little ones,” 
a Christmas gift for all the year. 



PREFACE 


In sending out this story, I have realized that we can 
only give that which is our own. 

We can theorize and perhaps deliver good advice, but 
unless we have proven and applied our theories we do not 
make the experience our own, and have, therefore, no just 
right to expect what we say to reach or help anyone, be- 
cause no one is willing to receive something from some one 
to whom that something does not belong. 

This is even more true about thoughts than about 
material things. 

It often seems strange to us that children do not more 
readily respond to that which we have given time and labor 
to explain, but do we pause to consider whether we are 
attempting to give something we do not possess ? Whether 
it be love, unselfishness or anything else. 

It is not what we teach, however able it may be, it is 
what we are, that reaches them, and we need never look 
for their response to anything less. 

To those, who put this story in the hands of children, 
I can say it is a gift for each “little one,” for they can 
make the truth in it their own, as the one who gives it to 
them has proven it more than once. 

Therefore, I send this forth, simple as the story may 
appear, with a confidence I could not feel in one which 
lacked the power of Truth. 


Isabel Foster. 







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THE TRUE POSSESSION 


BY 

Isabel Foster 


“Oh, what beautiful roses !” exclaimed Eleanor. 
“How lovely the six would look in the vase on 
my desk. There, when I divide them they don’t 
fill it right; but it would look mean if I didn’t 
share them with Dorothy. I wonder if two would 
be enough to give her? She couldn’t expect 
many when they are a present to me. Four cer- 
tainly look better than three in the vase, and I 
really think two look just as graceful together as 
three. Besides, some sisters wouldn’t give her 
any, or only one.” 

By this time Eleanor had persuaded herself 
that two of her roses would be a generous gift. 

After thus bestowing them, she filled, with 
water, the vase which was to hold her own four, 
when some playmates called for her to hurry, as 
she was late starting on a chestnutting expedition, 
and the wagon couldn’t wait. This put Eleanor 
in a great flurry with hunting her hat, and for- 


8 


The True Possession. 


getting her gloves, while little Dorothy was kept 
busy running about in search of a handkerchief 
Eleanor had dropped somewhere on the stairs. 

Late that afternoon, as the children were on 
their homeward way, a trifling accident occurred 
to the wagon, which decided them to walk home, 
as they had already reached the city. 

While passing some houses they noticed a pale, 
tired looking child seated on a doorstep, holding 
a beautiful rose. 

Eleanor paused and looked so steadfastly at the 
little girl, that she held the rose behind her, gaz- 
ing with wide, frightened eyes at her tormentor. 

“Where did you get such a glorious rose?” 
demanded Eleanor. 

“It’s mine,” whimpered the child, “she gave it 
to me.” 

“Some lady?” 

“No, the little girl.” 

“Nonsense, little girls don’t have roses like 
that to give away ; they cost a lot of money.” 

“It’s mine,” repeated the child, her little hand 
growing hot as she clasped her treasure in it. 

At this moment the door opened and a woman 
came out. 


The True Possession. 


9 


^‘Mama,” cried the child in a relieved tone, “my 
flower,’’ and she stretched out her arm toward 
her. 

“Do you want me to put it in water?” 

“Yes, it’s mine, it’s mine.” 

“To be sure, but not two minutes ago you 
wouldn’t hear to having it out of your sight,” 
then turning to the children, who still lingered, 
she said, “my Lizzie has never been away from 
the city, and the only flowers she ever saw grow 
are dandelions, and the only flowers she ever 
handled are daisies the neighbors brought her. 
She isn’t strong to walk and I never get a minute 
from work to spare for her, but to-day is her 
birthday and she was sitting here crying, when 
along came a sweet little girl, with a beautiful 
rose in her hand. Lizzie looked at it real hard 
and then I heard her ask to smell it. I put my 
head out of the window, though the soapsuds 
were over my hands, and I saw a real pretty little 
girl, dressed real pretty, too, and she let Lizzie 
smell the rose. 

“Then I heard Lizzie say how it was her birth- 
day and we were too poor for her to have a 
present, and she asked the little girl if she would 


lO 


The True Possession. 


let her hold the flower in her very own hands, 
and smell it just a little while, for a birthday 
present. The little girl put it in Lizzie’s hand, 
saying she was carrying it to a lady who used to 
have lots of flowers in the country, and missed 
them living in the city, but she said it seemed this 
rose must be intended for Lizzie’s birthday. 

‘T leaned out and told the little girl how Lizzie 
had never held a rose in her hand before, and the 
little girl’s eyes looked like stars, and she said 
she knew she’d been sent with the rose for Lizzie, 
and she would come sometimes to see her, and 
bring her a flower growing in a pot.” 

From the group of children a curly headed boy 
came forward. 

‘T’ve got flowers in my garden, and to-morrow 
I can bring Lizzie some.” 

“Bertha,” whispered a larger boy, “don’t you 
think mother would let us take her to the country 
with us on the farm?” 

“We’ll ask her,” responded his sister warmly. 

As the children continued on their way, they 
talked over many plans in which the thought was 
a loving, unselfish wish to bring more happiness 


The True Possession. 


II 


into the daily existence of the child who had found 
joy in the touch and fragrance of a rose. 

When Eleanor reached home she felt tired and 
cross. 

Dorothy was standing expectantly at the win- 
dow, and ran to open the door for her. 

“Did you have lots of fun? Did you get lots 
of chestnuts?” 

“Yes, we got loads, but they’re all in the wagon. 
Something got the matter with it, and we walked 
home, and had to stop an age to hear a tiresome 
woman talk about her child, and some silly girl 
who had given her a magnificent rose. For my 
part, I don’t think she had any business giving 
a hot-house flower to a dirty little thing who 
couldn’t know how to appreciate — ” 

“Oh, but, Eleanor, she never held a rose in her 
hand in all her life.” 

“Dorothy Mattox, you don’t mean to tell me 
you went and gave away one of m.y roses — ” 

“No, no, of course not, Eleanor, it was one you 
gave me.” 

“Well, it’s all the same thing. I might as well 
have kept them myself, and I would have, if I 
hadn’t supposed you wanted some. You always 
pretend to be crazy over roses.” 


12 


The True Possession. 


'‘I do love them, Eleanor, I love them so I 
can’t bear to keep them for just me. They always 
seem to say, ‘Look at me, I am telling you of love, 
let me tell my message everywhere, don’t let me 
waste it here shut up in a room,’ and you know, 
Eleanor, what blesses one blesses all, so I left 
one at home and started with the other for Mrs. 
Earnum, but surely Lizzie needed the blessing 
most, so I left it with her.” 

“Yes, I saw it, getting all withered in her hot 
hands.” 

“But, Eleanor, it made her rejoice, and glad- 
ness is her heritage. Why, when I came home 
and looked at my rose that was left, it didn’t 
seem near as beautiful as thinking of the one 
Lizzie held squeezed in her hand, and that made 
me think of the verse in the hymn : 

“ ‘For we must share, if we would keep 
That blessing from above : 

Ceasing to give, we cease to have. 

Such is the law of love.’ 

“I couldn’t get it out of my head, because it 
was just as plain as plain, that of the two roses, 
the one I gave away was the one I really had, 
because it was the one I kept seeing in Lizzie’s 
hand, and the one I liked to see, so I decided to 


The True Possession, 


13 


keep the other the same way, and I knew you^d 
let me look at your roses, so I put on my things 
again and took it to Mrs. Farnum.’^ 

“Well, I declare ! And when we go to the party 
to-morrow, I suppose you think I’ll give you 
some of mine, and I don’t think that’s fair, when 
I gave you two already. I couldn’t spare any 
more, and besides, I was afraid they might not 
all keep fresh, and if I kept enough I’d be sure 
of one or two. I forget whether I put them in 
my room, or left them in the bathroom, the girls 
hurried me so I didn’t know what I was doing. 
I don’t remember a thing about them after I 
filled the vase with water.” 

Somewhat disturbed she ran up to her room, 
followed by Dorothy, and there on her desk, in 
front of the open register, lay the four roses, 
withered and faded. When Eleanor lifted them 
in her hand, they drooped strengthless on the 
stems. 

Eleanor’s lip quivered and the tears gathered 
drop by drop. 

Loving little Dorothy’s arms were around her 
in a moment. 


14 


The True Possession. 


“Eleanor, sister dear, oh, Fm sorry. If I hadn’t 
given away your other two roses you could have 
them.” . 

“No, it’s all my fault,” sobbed Eleanor. “I got 
in such a hurry I forgot to put them in water. 
Hark ! someone is calling you.” 

With a parting hug Dorothy left her sister, but 
soon reappeared with a beautiful rose in her hand. 

“Only look, Eleanor, here is one of your very 
own roses to wear to the party.” 

“How can that be possible ?” 

“Isn’t it wonderful? Mrs. Earnum is down- 
stairs with mother, and to-morrow she goes back 
to the country, and she came to say good-bye, and 
she said she had enjoyed the rose all day, and it 
rested her when she looked at it, and thought of 
the love that came to her with it, but she didn’t 
want it fading in the hot cars, so she brought it 
over for me.” 

' “Put it in water, Dorothy, and you shall wear 
it to-morrow, because it is your’s. Remember 
that verse : ‘Ceasing to give, we cease to have,’ — 
you didn’t cease giving, dear little, unselfish Doro- 
thy, and so you have a rose, while I measured and 
counted mine, and, yes, I grudged giving you 
two, and so by hoarding mine I have none.” 


The True Possession. 


15 


'‘No, no, Eleanor, you only lost those you 
'ceased to give,’ for see, here is one you gave, and 
it will be sweet on your gown to-morrow.” 

“Well, dear little sister, put it in water, and in 
the morning we’ll go together and take it to Lizzie, 
with some other things that she’ll like, and that 
will be the best way for us to share the rose 
between us, and the best way to keep it, too.” 


Printed and Published by 
WM. J. C. DULANY COMPANY 
Baltimore, Maryland 



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